Friday, October 28, 2016

Greetings fellow
advocates of Washington State PTA. As you know, WSPTA recently voted on
our short-term (two-year) platform for the upcoming two legislative
sessions. We're excited that we have such a strong, whole child focused
short-term platform to guide our discussions and activities in Olympia.

However, WSPTA's
membership also added three new items to our long-term platform, and we
want to make sure you know both about these new items, and the long-term
platform in general.

In WSPTA's
nomenclature, our long-term platform is composed of Resolutions, which remain
on the platform until/unless amended or removed by vote of the membership (at
either Legislative Assembly or Convention).

While our short-term
platform gets a lot of attention, it's imperative to remember that we are always
looking for ways we can advance our long-term platform as well. Typically,
Resolutions cover topics that take longer than a single two-year period to
significantly move forward.

By having Resolutions
that remain part of our guidance for direct advocacy, WSPTA strengthens both
our ability to advocate for children, and the perception of our strength as an
organization by those policy-makers with whom we work year after year.

So what are the three
new additions to our Resolutions? First up is a resolution regarding sensory
disorders, including (but not limited to) Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia,and Dyspraxia. This resolution offers guidance to WSPTA's long-term efforts to
embody the philosophy that, when we say we advocate for all children,
all means all. Creating and supporting inclusive classrooms that are
well-suited for learners of all ability-levels is good for all of our children,
and this resolution is built on that principle.

Next, WSPTA passed a
Washington-specific version of National PTA's resolution on Child Sex Trafficking. Sadly, Washington is a hotbed of activity for child sex
traffickers because of both our state's geography, and our proximity to
international borders. Supporting efforts to end this scourge is wholly
aligned with the mission and vision of WSPTA, and this resolution gives us
guidance on how we can participate in helping the children caught in this
horrific practice.

Finally, WSPTA passed
a resolution regarding Mitigating Environmental Hazards and Contaminants in Schools. This resolution provides guidance as WSPTA leads and participates in
discussions about ensuring environmental safety is a high priority in our
schools, while acknowledging that practices and policies at the district and
school levels need to be aligned with current best-practices.

Of course, these
three new resolutions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to WSPTA's
long-term platform. We ask that you familiarize yourself with our standing Resolutions
and keep them in mind as you have conversations in your homes, schools, and
communities.

As always, WSPTA's
leadership is here to serve you. Never hesitate to reach out if there's
something we can do to help. Your service to the children of the state of
Washington is supremely appreciated! Note: An updated version of the resolutions will be posted soon.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Greetings Washington State PTA
Advocates! Thank you to all those who attended and participated in this weekend's
38th Annual Legislative Assembly! It was an excellent time of leadership
development, discussion and debate around the statewide advocacy goals Washington
State PTA (WSPTA) would like to accomplish over the next two years, and
ultimately a voting process that officially determined both our short-term
platform, and updated our long-term platform.

In addition to the outstanding
work, the delegates performed setting the overall platform and determining our
Top 5 issues for the next two years, we also heard from National PTA's
President-Elect, Jim Accomando. He spoke about the challenges that face PTA as
an organization, and touched on the things he had learned from us during the
course of the event. We also heard from Brian Jeffries of the Washington
Roundtable, who spoke about the cradle-to-career efforts educators and
employers are making to ensure that Washington state's high-school graduates
have the credentials they need to achieve high-quality employment.

WSPTA was proud to award the
2016 Outstanding Advocate Award to Kent Area Council PTSA member and long-time
PTA advocate Agda Burchard. Agda spoke about her experience being a PTA
advocate, and how it spurred her to expand her advocacy efforts both as a
volunteer and a professional. She was inspiring and gracious, and will carry
the mantle of Outstanding Advocate exceedingly well over the coming year.

So,
what's next? Well, we're in the midst of planning our 2017 Focus Day, taking
place January 16 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – at the Capitol in Olympia.
We need you to come, and be prepared, to meet with your legislators! We will
have more information coming soon, so please stay tuned!

Now is your opportunity to take
the experience you had at Legislative Assembly and use it to grow more
advocates in your communities! As always, WSPTA's leadership is here to serve
you. Never hesitate to reach out if there's something we can do to help. Your
service to the children of the state of Washington is supremely appreciated!

Friday, October 7, 2016

The Supreme
Court announced yesterday that the State had failed to submit a complete plan
for achieving full compliance with its constitutional duty to Washington
students, and therefore ordered that it would not lift the $100,000 a
day contempt sanction. However, the Court did not order additional penalties at
this time.

The order was
signed by 7 of the 9 justices, and was written by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen.
Justice Wiggins issued a short concurring opinion about why he supported continuing
the contempt sanction, while Justice McCloud disagreed with the
majority and said the fine should be lifted.

The Court said that “the
State has until September 1, 2018, to fully implement its program of basic
education, and that the remaining

details of that program,
including funding sources and the necessary appropriations for the 2017-19
biennium, are to be in place by final adjournment of the 2017 legislative
session.”

Celebrating service since 1905

Washington State PTA is the largest volunteer association in the state, with more than 132,000 members in 850+ local PTAs.

Our vision? Make every child's potential a reality. We will do that by being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the well-being and education of every child.